Week 72

So, they weren't joking when they said that the emails will die off at the end of your mission. Forty-five minutes into email, I've already emailed everyone back, emailed the mission president, read a couple of the articles on Church News, and I'm starting this email... which I usually don't get to until last. Well, I can understand why though... I am not going to say that I've ever been the best at emailing missionaries! Besides, in SIX WEEKS I'll get to call all of you up and demand to know what's going on in your lives. Or just look on Facebook... 

I can't believe how time flies. I think missionaries probably talk about that more than anyone else, because we are constantly reminded by transfers ticking by. 

This week was a good one. Here's something cool, and a first for my mission! On Tuesday, we went on exchanges with the Danville sisters, and I got to step foot into the third state of our mission! Woohoo! I went to Indiana! :D Fun fact: there is one little town, Covington, in Indiana that's included in our mission, and I got to go there with the sisters! So now I've been to another state :)

It was a fun exchange, too. It's the first time I've left Springfield in a while, so I enjoyed getting to see a different place and meet some new people. And here's a cool story: our first appointment of the day, we were supposed to meet this woman at a shelter. We met a member there... and we asked for the woman at the desk... and she didn't show. Bummer! But we sat there for a while, because we thought that the woman could be late, and another lady came and sat by us. So we started talking to her... turns out her grandpa was Mormon! And the member who came with us knew him! And he used to read the Book of Mormon to her! She accepted a Plan of Salvation pamphlet and a return appointment. It was really cool. Just evidence that we are put where we need to be when we need to be there!

We had a good rest of our exchange. Then headed back Wednesday! Sister Herdman and I did service at the soup kitchen... I've got a real future as a lunch lady, let me tell you. Although, turns out I'm pretty deaf, because I can never hear the people's reply. Probably too much blasting Mormon Tabernacle Choir! 

Thursday, we had our district meeting. I gave a training on how to teach people about the Atonement. It was such a good training for me to prepare. One of my favorite insights I came across while preparing for it was about grace. Grace is the power of God that comes into our lives through the Atonement. The power that can bless us through the Atonement can be broken down into four categories: resurrection, redemption, healing, and strengthening or enabling. Resurrection: pretty straightforward. Redemption: ransoming us from the effects of sin. Healing: spiritual and physical and emotional healing all can come because the Savior suffered for that wound already. The enabling power of the Atonement was what I focused on. This is the power that can give us strength beyond our own, to face our circumstances and to become the ones who act. Each of these powers comes into our lives more and more as we "live the gospel joyfully," as President Uchtdorf counseled us.

Friday, we helped one of our investigators clean the house that she's going to start renting. It was pretty gross... lots of mouse poop and dead cockroaches. No live ones, so that's good! :P One thing about my mission I will not miss: Cockroaches. 

Speaking of which...

So, Saturday morning, we went to a memorial service (I know! No funerals for five years, and then suddenly I'm going to one every weekend). I was asked to say the closing prayer. It was for the mom of a recent convert. Well, afterwards, we went to their home to help them prepare a luncheon for their family in town, and Sister Herdman and I got the job of making deviled eggs. So we cut up the eggs and whip up the middle part, and Sister Herdman takes the job of sprinkling the paprika (she loves paprika). She gets it out of the cupboard, takes a nice whiff--yep, it's paprika--and then shakes it...

And out fall two dead cockroaches (plop plop) right on top of one of the eggs. We both freeze, look at each other... And then I say, "Well, no paprika for these eggs!"

Definitely a bit of a stomach turner.

Sorry about the gross email this week! Welcome to the Midwest ;)

Transfer calls came in, and I will be finishing my mission out here in Springfield with Sister Herdman! Very exciting. I am looking forward to the next six weeks. I'm in my prime, everyone! Haha.

I hope you all enjoy your Valentine's Day! I send my love from Illinois! Just remember Sister Herdman's motto: "love is dead!" At least for missionaries! 

Lots of love,

Sister Barret

Week 73: Kind of a Crazy Week!

But when is it not crazy in the good ol' Midwest! Ah, I love it. We went to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum yesterday with a couple of other sister missionaries, and one of them made a comment about how she thought that this area (it's her second) would be less crazy than her first. And I was like, "Oh honey. It's the Midwest." I love it! I also think that it's simply mission life... It doesn't get much better than this! 

Many, many things happened this week, and I can't even remember the half of them. Typical, for my emails. Typical for my journal too, I feel kind of bad! I hope that I have lots of good mission stories to tell when I get home. Okay, no, there's too many to count, but that's okay. 

I can't believe that Sara gets home so soon! We left the same day!! Foreign missions.

Anyway, some highlights this week... We've been working with our young woman investigator, Adrian. She's working towards baptism either on the 28th of this month or the 7th of next. Super exciting! It's so clear in this case how important fellowship from the ward is though. She is getting great fellowship from some of the adults in the ward, which is good news. 

We had a great lesson with Lori. She had been struggling a bit, and we could sense that there was a concern that she wasn't talking about. But Sister Herdman and I felt prompted to share the Articles of Faith with her, and #6 really answered her prayers. She said that she knew that that was a sign from God that this truly is the church that she's meant to be a part of. There's a part in Preach My Gospel that talks about how investigators' concerns are like icebergs... we only see the tip, and the rest is hidden. But if you are teaching by the Spirit, you really can be blessed with answering questions in their hearts. It's amazing.

It was officially the transfer on Wednesday, but it didn't feel like it, because Sister Herdman and I have already been together! It's a strange feeling, like the transfer is going to last 8 weeks instead of 6. Whatever works! haha. 

Thursday, we drove down to Glen Carbon, to spend the night with the other STLs, because Friday was... Missionary Leadership Council!

Oh, MLC is so great. We learn so much. The mission is doing really well! The work is truly hastening in many different ways. It's a little bit long (10-4) but the time really flies by. Meetings are some of my favorite days on the mission (weird, right?) because the Spirit is so strong when you gather with other missionaries. 

On the way back from MLC, we had a bit of a miracle! We had put all of our stuff in the car, hugged the other sisters good-bye, and gotten in the car. I was driving, and Sister Herdman was backing me. I put the keys in the ignition, and try to start it... and it turns over a couple times then fizzles out. Again. And again. So, we call our vehicle coordinator... doesn't answer. We call the elders... they don't help much. So, we're sitting in the cold car, thinking of how we're going to have to stay another night in Glen Carbon (which we really don't want to do) and how our plans are all going to be changed... And I say, "Let's pray. And try one more time. And then we'll go back inside and tell the sisters what's going on."

So we bow our heads, and the gist of our prayer was, "Heavenly Father, we understand if we're supposed to learn how to deal with trials this way. But please, if it be thy will, let the car start."

And I put the keys in, and it starts up like nothing had ever happened.

It was amazing! The power of prayer, and the power of faith is real!

Valentine's Day was pretty great. Sister Herdman made me breakfast (German pancakes). I made her dinner (Lemony asparagus fettucine alfredo, Italian soup, pan seared veggies, and a salad). Ate it by candlelight, as per my mission tradition. It was a lot of fun. It was a good companionship unity building time ;)

Anyway, that was pretty well our week! Oh, and I counted four hundred dollars in quarters. That was fun too. 

Lots of love! Have a great week!

Sister Barret

Week 71: Plot Twist....Surprise Ending!

Ha, just kidding. I probably will tell you the plot twist pretty soon here, actually.

So this week was pretty full of new things. New snow, new illness (an annoying cold. I've had a sore throat all week, and now it's transitioning to a runny nose. Only the second time I've been sick on my mission, and I do not cope well. I complain), new bishop (he's going to do a great job), new companion...

Wait, what?

Haha. Well, here's what happened. On Tuesday we got a call from the assistants (it's still an adjustment, getting regular calls from the assistants). Actually, we played phone tag with the assistants for about four hours, but eventually we got to talk to them, and they told us that Sister Martinez was going to be going to Glen Carbon IL to be with the STL there, because an STL was going home unexpectedly, and the STL there is going home in a week and they wanted someone to learn the area so that it doesn't fall apart. So Sister Martinez went there, and I got Sister Herdman (I think she's going to be my killer) and her past companion, is with two other sisters. Or more accurately, they're with her. And all these switches went down on Friday! So, from about Tuesday on, our life was fairly hectic. And it has yet to slow down :)

Oh, also, Thursday was Sister Martinez's birthday. I sneaky planned all sorts of fun stuff. We had breakfast with an investigator, a surprise birthday-themed district meeting, lunch at Olive Garden, dinner with our ward mission leader... It was great. It's hard to be sneaky when you're with someone 24/7, but I managed!

I like change though. I think I thrive on the challenge of adjusting to it. Sister Herdman is great. She's from Provo, and she loves missionary work and people, and is a great missionary. Like I said, I suspect that she'll be my last companion. No guarantees, of course. But I hope so, because I think that I have a lot to learn from her.

The latter half of the week really flew by though, because Sister Herdman and I went on exchanges to Jacksonville on Saturday, which meant that we had been together for less than 24 hours when we went on exchanges. Crazy! Haha. Seriously though, I'm being kept on my toes, which is the best thing for me, I think.

For my personal study this week, I have really been focusing (still) on the Atonement. I received a priesthood blessing a week ago Sunday, and one of the pieces of counsel I received was to study with a purpose. So I pondered what my purpose is while studying, and I decided that the greatest purpose I could have would be to strive to understand and apply the Atonement more in my life. Today, I was reading the definition of the Atonement in the Bible Dictionary, and this sentence really stood out to me: "The Atonement is conditional, however, so far as each person’s individual sins are concerned, and touches every one to the degree that he has faith in Jesus Christ, repents of his sins, and obeys the gospel." I loved that last sentence. The Atonement is applied in our life as we follow the basic principles of the gospel! There's no secret formula for bringing the Atonement into our lives. Have faith. Repent. Live the gospel.

Have a wonderful week everyone! Transfer calls are this Saturday, but I'd be pretty surprised if anything happened... You never know though!

Sister Barret

Week 70

Well, I just counted on the little calendar at the bottom of the screen, and I'll send 77 P-day emails total when all is said and done. That's... weird. Nerve-wracking. Exciting. Scary. All of the above. I've just been a bundle of emotions lately, and I can only imagine how that will continue for the next two months.

This week was a long week. Very interesting. I spent it all right here in Springfield, but we went on three exchanges. Tuesday, we exchanged with the Tuscola sisters, so a reunion with Sister Schwenke! We had fun. We had a chance to teach some lessons, including a really amazing one with the thirteen year old girl we're teaching, Adrian. We read a chapter of the Bible with her, and then said a closing prayer. Then as I stood up to leave, she asked "So, when do people get baptized?" I was a little surprised... okay, a lot surprised because she's been taught for quite some time and hadn't been progressing very much. But I answered that we normally teach some lessons, and then when people feel like they have received their answer, they decide on a date. So I asked, "Is that something that you'd like to do?" And she said YES! It was awesome. So we picked out February 21, and she's going to be praying about it. It's one of the greatest things on a mission: to see the Spirit working on someone so that they want to change.

On Wednesday morning, we received some bad news. Our bishop, Anthony Leggett, passed away. He had been battling colon cancer for a while, and over the last couple of months had really been struggling. The whole ward was affected. He was an amazing leader. You can actually read more about this, I think they have a Facebook page called "Fearless Leggett."

Thursday, we had our district meeting, and went on another exchange. This time I went with a sister who has only been out for about four months. There was an emergency switch (kind of like when I was with Sister Reed again) so she and her companion have only been together for a little less than a week. She was doing pretty well though, so that's good. It can be stressful to have so much change so quickly, but she really impressed me with her enthusiasm and readiness to jump in. I love the fire of new missionaries. They are ready to change the world, and they inspire me to do the same!

We actually had an interesting morning the next day together, because we had an appointment at 9:30. See, normally we don't take appointments before 10, but this was the only time that worked for her. So we went to see our appointment, which went well. She loved the plan of salvation! Then, because we were on the other side of town from our apartment, we went and did our companion study at Starbucks (I bought her a hot chocolate). It was a bit of a different sight: two missionaries studying in Starbucks :)

Went on another exchange, this time with a sister who has been out for the same amount of time as me. We had a really great lesson right before we switched back! We have been trying to meet with this potential investigator for a while, but she's always been gone or we didn't have time. But we finally sat down and she really is open and ready and willing to learn. I love meeting people who are searching for something more, because I know that the gospel will bless them with that "something" that they are missing.

After we switched back, we went to Bishop Leggett's funeral. It was a really nice service. He worked in the Department of Corrections so they had an Honor Guard there. It was beautiful. We sang in the choir that they put together, of a medley of "Our Savior's Love" and a children's choir singing "I Feel My Savior's Love."

And now I look outside and the snow is coming down! I'm just grateful it held off, I did NOT want to have to delay emailing :)

Being a missionary stretches you in different ways than you expect. And I am guessing that different missions stretch you in different ways as well. I think of my cousins, in Mongolia and Brazil, and I know that they have to be facing different challenges than I do. But the amazing thing is that Heavenly Father has a perfect plan for all of us. We are placed exactly where we need to be in order to be shaped into the disciple that Heavenly Father will need us to be. We are placed where we can bless the lives of His children in the best way, whether now or in the future. And central to this plan is of course the Atonement of Jesus Christ. He made it possible for us to be able to learn and grow through all of the challenges, all of the heartache, all exhaustion and sadness and so on. If I come out of the mission with nothing else, I want to be able to say that I learned how to rely on the Atonement. If we allow Him, He will place His yoke on our shoulders. We will be guided day by day, through the Spirit and through the words of the scriptures. And we don't have to bear any burden or face any day alone.

Sister Barret

Week 69: Hallelujah...the Sun is Shining!

Welp, my camera is officially broken. Not that either Sister Martinez or I took any pictures this week... Turns out we're both really bad at that.

We had a pretty great week this week! We had quite a few lessons, and the investigator, Lori, who came to church last week set a baptismal date for February 7. She has some challenges to overcome: she works every other week right now, and she has a lot of health issues. But she is super determined to do it! She loves the church, especially Joseph Smith, and she really desires baptism. She's been reading the Book of Mormon, and I think that it has really helped her out.

The tough thing this week... We were supposed to go on two exchanges, but instead we ended up going on NONE because of what we'll call "unforeseeable circumstances." Not our fault. But now we'll be going on three this week, which is always stressful. Especially because the way it shook out, I'll be staying in Springfield for all three of them. It'll be hard work, but I am looking forward to spending time with the sisters! That's definitely the best part of being a sister training leader.

Sorry, I don't know why I'm struggling with knowing what to write about this week! It was just an interesting week. Lots of ups and downs. Tuesday was an amazing day. It was one of those rare days on a mission where literally everything works out! It doesn't happen often, but when it does, you feel on top of the world. Well, it doesn't happen often out here in the Midwest. I don't know how it works out in other missions :)

A less active that we've been working with for a while came to church this week! That was really neat. She's been a member her whole life, but never really converted... Honestly, we don't even know why she came this week. We're planning on visiting her soon and hopefully help her make this a habit!

We found a new investigator who has been an investigator before. She is planning on feeding us lunch today. I'm nervous... She asked if we like fish. So, I might have to just grin and bear it...

Um....

Yeah. I don't even know what else to say...

We had a great Martin Luther King Jr Day! P-day is so very relaxed when you don't email :) We went shopping, and sight seeing in downtown Springfield, Sister Martinez got a haircut, we washed our car and did a LOT of cleaning. Which was nice. Early spring cleaning, you could say?

In my personal study, I've been reading the Book of Mormon from the beginning again (with the mission, by next General Conference). It is always so good. I love the power of that book. I've been reading with an eye on revelation, since I'm preparing to receive revelation at Conference! I loved this verse from 1 Nephi 18:3: "And I, Nephi, did go into the mount oft, and I did pray oft unto the Lord; wherefore the Lord showed unto me great things." It made me think of the temple. When we go to the temple, in a spirit of prayer, the Lord will show us great things. He will help us to understand Him, and our place in His great eternal plan. I am so grateful that the Lord is willing to teach us.

Lots of love,

Sister Barret